Lifestyle

 

Greater Fort Lauderdale: the place for LIFE WORK BALANCE™ 

Whether you are here on spring break, visiting friends and family, or enjoying a vacation in Greater Fort Lauderdale, it doesn't have to end here. Why not join a group of of talented young professionals who have made this community their home? Live Where You Vacation.™

Be part of an exciting, inclusive, forward-thinking community where you can succeed and enjoy an amazing quality of life. 

 

Greater Fort Lauderdale has hundreds of career opportunities at our many headquarter companies and in industries like tech, aviation, life sciences and professional services - check out the career link below and links to young professional groups  in the area. To search for job opportunities, please click here.

To view a copy of the Welcome Home guide to living and working in Greater Fort Lauderdale, please click here.

 

 

 

Neighborhoods

Greater Fort Lauderdale is home to more than two dozen distinct communities with over 1.9 million residents. From Lighthouse Point to Pembroke Pines, each area offers its own unique features. Many of our cities have been recognized nationally for their high quality of life, family friendliness, top schools, recreational programs and housing programs. 

The Convention & Visitor's Bureau has put together a go-to resource for feeling at home away from home. You can use these listings to plan an afternoon outing, explore restaurant and hotel options, and find fun things to do. Or just wander until you think you’ve found your niche. Click here to explore Cities & Towns, Beaches and other Points of Interest in Broward County.

Young Professionals

Greater Fort Lauderdale has a large and diverse number of ambitious young professionals living and working throughout the area. There are a variety of groups you can join to make personal and professional connections.

Young Professional Groups in Greater Fort Lauderdale include:
Broward Center for the Performing Arts - Ghost Light Society
Emerge Broward 
Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber - Rising Leaders
United Way of Broward County - NextGen United
Urban League of Broward County - Young Professionals Network
Young Lawyers Section of the Broward County Bar Association
Young Leaders Division of the Jewish Federation of Broward

Arts & Culture

Located at the center of a cosmopolitan urban region, Greater Fort Lauderdale offers an abundance of music, art, culture, sports, theater, dance and multicultural attractions. Broward County is home to the NHL's Florida Panthers, while top musical acts and popular Broadway shows appear regularly. Whatever your interest, you'll find it here. We're more than just the beach.

Major museums, concert venues and performance halls include:

• Amerant Bank Arena (Sunrise) – https://www.amerantbankarena.com/ 
• Art & Culture Center of Hollywood – https://www.artandculturecenter.org/ 
• Bonnet House Museum & Gardens (Fort Lauderdale) – https://www.bonnethouse.org/
• Broward Center for the Performing Arts (Fort Lauderdale) – https://www.browardcenter.org/
• Charles F. Dodge City Center (Pembroke Pines) – https://www.charlesfdodgecitycenter.com/
• Coral Springs Museum of Art – https://coralspringsmuseum.org/
• Hard Rock Live (Hollywood) – https://www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com/entertainment/hard-rock-live
• Miramar Cultural Center | ArtsPark – https://miramarculturalcenter.org/493/Cultural-Affairs/
• Museum of Discovery & Science (Fort Lauderdale) – https://mods.org/
• NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale – https://nsuartmuseum.org/
• Parker Playhouse (Fort Lauderdale) – https://www.parkerplayhouse.com/
• Revolution Live (Fort Lauderdale) – https://www.jointherevolution.net/
• Symphony of the Americas (Fort Lauderdale) – https://www.symphonyoftheamericas.org/
• Young At Art Museum (Davie) – http://www.youngatartmuseum.org/

Sports & Recreation

Professional and Spectator Sports
South Florida is home to teams from the “Big 5” professional sports leagues - football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer. In Sunrise, the award-winning Amerant Bank Arena is home to the Florida Panthers, the 2023 NHL Eastern Conference Champions, and such concerts and live events as The Eagles, Bon Jovi, Cirque du Soleil, Disney on Ice, The Who and more.

Just minutes from downtown Fort Lauderdale, Major League Soccer Team Inter Miami FC (Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami) is exciting fans with the arrival of superstar Lionel Messi at DRV PNK Stadium. Just to the south, the NFL’s Miami Dolphins play at Hard Rock Stadium. A short drive or train ride to downtown Miami is Kaseya Center, home court for the Miami Heat, who captured the 2006, 2012 and 2013 NBA championships. Fans can also enjoy the Miami Marlins baseball team (World Series champions in 1997 and 2003).

Gaming
Greater Fort Lauderdale residents and guests can enjoy thoroughbred racing at Gulfstream Park, as well as jai alai (“the world’s fastest sport”) in the region’s pari-mutuel facilities. These venues, plus Harrah’s Pompano Beach, Seminole Casino Coconut Creek and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood - home of the “guitar hotel” - offer gaming action, including slot machines, table games and poker.

Parks in Greater Fort Lauderdale
With year-round sunshine and an average daily high of 78°F in the winter, it is almost always a great day to go to a park in Broward County. Local municipalities – as well as county government – operate hundreds of parks offering a wide range of activities including aquatics, nature walks, batting cages, boat rides, racquet centers, water skiing, horseback riding, target ranges, skate parks — you name it!

Broward County Parks and Recreation
The Broward County Parks and Recreation department (www.broward.org/parks) manages almost 6,500 acres, encompassing nearly 50 regional parks and nature centers, neighborhood parks, and natural areas at various stages of development. Facilities include water parks, campgrounds, a target range, a stadium, a skate park, an observatory, mountain bike trails, an educational farm with stables, and a velodrome and other sports facilities. The division is a past winner of the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. The division also offers classes for many leisure activities.

Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale
Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale (www.goriverwalk.com) is a nonprofit that oversees Riverwalk Linear Park, a lush tropical oasis in the city’s downtown center with a year-round calendar of events and activities.

Golf Courses
Golfers of all skill levels can tee-up at dozens of courses, including exclusive private clubs, premier municipal facilities and leading resort courses. For more information, click on VisitLauderdale.org.

Festivals
Each year, Greater Fort Lauderdale residents enjoy hundreds of local festivals. A short list includes the Winterfest Boat Parade (www.winterfestparade.com), Las Olas Art Fair (www.artfestival.com), the Seminole Tribal Fair & Pow Wow (www.semtribefairandpowwow.com), Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride parade and street festival (www.wiltonmanorsstonewall.com) and the beachfront Tortuga Music Festival featuring country, pop, and rock music.

Education

Greater Fort Lauderdale’s well-integrated preK-20 educational system provides a strong foundation for the region’s high quality of life, offering programs to meet the individual learning styles of students and their families. Along with excellent public, independent and private schools, the region’s colleges, universities and vocational facilities are committed to creating career opportunities and building a skilled workforce.

This includes Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), https://www.browardschools.com, which is the sixth-largest public-school system in the nation and the second largest in Florida. BCPS is Florida’s first fully accredited school system since 1962. BCPS serves more than 271,500 students and approximately 175,000 adult students in 241 schools, centers and technical colleges, and 89 charter schools.

Greater Fort Lauderdale also has more than 60 private and independent schools that meet a variety of student academic and personal needs. More than 30,000 children in Broward attend non-public schools, which offer programs from early childhood education through 12th grade. These schools welcome calls for information and are happy to arrange family visits to their campuses.

Several colleges and universities serve Greater Fort Lauderdale, including both state and private-sector institutions offering a variety of degree programs. More than 35 institutions offer associate degrees or higher within 30 miles of Fort Lauderdale, including eleven with MBA degrees.

A new website – www.GFLedu.org – presents a one-stop comprehensive look at education in Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County, including public and private, pre-K through postgraduate programs. Visitors can view educational institutions in different parts of the county and see student, alumni and teacher achievements, testimonials from local business leaders, videos that bring education initiatives to life, and much more.

Transportation

Broward County is located in the center of South Florida's Gold Coast, stretching along the Atlantic Ocean from Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach in the north to Hollywood and Hallandale Beach in the south, midway between Palm Beach and Miami.

The most popular way to get around Greater Fort Lauderdale is via car, but if you prefer not to drive, there are a myriad of options for you:

Train
Brightline (www.gobrightline.com) offers express train service connecting you to downtown Miami, Fort Lauderdale & West Palm Beach with future service to Orlando, while the Tri-Rail (www.tri-rail.com), South Florida’s local commuter rail, connects Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

Water Taxi
Fort Lauderdale is known as the “Venice of America” because of its many beautiful waterways. One of the best ways to Explore our city is from the water. The Water Taxi (https://watertaxi.com/about/) provides a narrated excursion that includes historical information as well as fun and interesting information about the many Mansions and Mega Yachts that line the waterways. There are 10 stops in Ft. Lauderdale, and 1 stop in Hollywood. Additionally, Water Taxi operates a complimentary Water Trolley that is supported by the City of Ft. Lauderdale that makes 8 stops along the River Route.

Trolley & Bus
Serving the Fort Lauderdale area since 1982, the Sun Trolley (www.suntrolley.com) offers routes with stops downtown, along the beach, and on Las Olas Boulevard. In the Greater Fort Lauderdale area, the Sun Trolley operates a total of seven routes, including the Free Riverwalk Water Trolley. Every route, except for the Beach Link and Las Olas Link, is free.

Another option is to use Broward County Transit's (BCT) commuter buses, which travel throughout the county. BCT (https://www.broward.org/BCT/Pages/default.aspx) provides fixed route bus, express busand community shuttles, and paratransit – door-to-door – services throughout the county.

Bicycle
Broward B-cycle (www.bcycle.com) is a fast-growing bike-sharing service with multiple rental stations. For a modest enrollment fee, members can use Broward B-cycle for an unlimited number of short trips.

Taxi
Traditional taxi cabs are available for getting around. You can call Yellow Cab Broward (http://www.yellowcabbroward.com/) or flag one down on the street or at the airport. Uber and Lyft are also available throughout the area.

Shopping & Dining

Shopping
Shopping is a favorite activity for Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County residents and visitors. While every neighborhood has its retail centers, the largest mall in the region is Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, one of the state’s most popular shopping destinations. Other major suburban centers include Coral Ridge Mall, Westfield Broward Mall, Pembroke Lakes Mall, Weston Town Center, Festival Marketplace and the Pompano Square Mall.

In the eastern part of the county, The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale is an upscale shopping center, while Las Olas Boulevard is a favorite location for locals and tourists alike. Known as Greater Fort Lauderdale’s “style mile”, Las Olas is lined with independently owned boutiques, a restaurant row with acclaimed chefs, and lively lounges and cafés with sidewalk seating.

Dining
Greater Fort Lauderdale’s thriving restaurant scene offers something for everyone. Dining hotspots serve up Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Thai and more. We have everything you are craving whether it is an artisan coffee drink, low-carb sandwich, or gluten free dessert.

Many restaurants in Greater Fort Lauderdale have been recognized with awards from Wine Spectator, Florida’s Hotspot Magazine, OpenTable and more.

Visit https://www.sunny.org/dining-and-nightlife/restaurants/ for a comprehensive list of dining options, from casual diners to elegant bistros and everything in between.